CHAPTER 3:

The School as a
Cultural Institution
What is Culture?
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“As an educator, one should be
knowledgeable not only on the
content or what to teach and the
pedagogy or how to teach but also
the culture or where to teach.”

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“As an educator, one should be
knowledgeable not only on the
content or what to teach and the
pedagogy or how to teach but also
the culture or where to teach.”

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Definition of Culture
 Defenition of Culture

Edward Tyler, a well-known anthropologist

defined culture as a complex whole which
includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law,
custom, and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of society.

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 Defenition of Culture
Deal and Peterson (2002) claimed that the term
culture best denotes the complex elements of
values, traditions, language, and purpose in a
given setting. Moreover, Wincek (1995) further
stated that culture is comprise of intertwining of
assumptions, values, beliefs from which a group’s
norms, practices, rituals etc.
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 Defenition of Culture

NONE IS UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED AS THE

ONE BEST DEFINITION

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 Definition of
School Culture
 Definition of School Culture
Kruse & Louis (2009) Schein (1985)
Characterized by deeply Defined school culture
rooted traditions, values, as a complex webs of
and beliefs. traditions and rituals that
Culture informs the have built up over time
ways in which “things as teachers, students,
get done around here” parents, and
administrators work
together and deal with
crises and
accomplishments.
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Starrat (1993)
The term culture in the
school context refers to
the basic assumptions,
beliefs, and practices that
are shared by the
members of a school
community. School
culture affects the way
people in a school think,
perform, and learn.
 Definition of School Culture
Waller (2009) Stoll & Fink (1998) Selznick (1957)
Opined that schools School culture is most Simply the distinctive
have a culture that is clearly seen in the ways identity of the schools.
definitely their own. people relate to and
There are, in school, work together; the
complex rituals of management of the
personal relationships, a school’s structures,
set of folkways, mores, systems, and physical
and irrational sanctions, environment.
a moral code based upon
them.
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Short Activity!
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Let us test how creative you are. Define school
culture by thinking if an adjective that starts
with each letter of the term. Write your answer
in a piece of paper.
S– C–
C– U–
H– L–
O– T–
O– U–
L– R–
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E–
Other Cultures
in a School
Among the different cultures
existing in a school, teacher
cultures have received most
attention in relation to school’s
improvement.

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 Other Cultures in School
Hargreaves (1994) highlights the four existing
teaching cultures:
1. Individualism- refers to classrooms as "egg-
crates" or "castles". Autonomy isolation and
insulation prevail, and blame and support are
avoided.
2. Collaboration- refers to the teachers who choose
spontaneously and voluntarily, to work together,
without external control agenda.
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 Other Cultures in School

3. Contrived Collegiality- refers to the teacher's

collaborative working relationships which are
compulsorily imposed, with fixed and times and
places set for collaboration.
4. Balkanization- refers to the teachers who are
neither isolated nor work as a whole school.
Smaller collaborative groups form.
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 Other Cultures in School
Becoming familiar with the culture of a particular
school takes time. Some tangible things that may
give an initial indication include the following:

• school statement purpose

• school management plan
• school policies such as student welfare policy

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 Other Cultures in School

• school's prospectus
• school's motto
• school's newsletter
• interactions between teachers and students

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 Typology of
Schools Culture
 Typology of Schools Culture

Stoll and Fink (1996) Develop a model in

determining a school culture. They focused on
school's current effectiveness, but also argue that the
rapidly accelerating space of change make standing
still impossible and therefore schools are either
getting better or getting worse.

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 Typology of Schools Culture
1. Moving refers on the following:
• Boosting pupil's progress and development
• Working together and respond to changing
context
• Know where they are going nd having the
will and skill to get there
• Possess norms of including schools

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 Typology of Schools Culture

2. Cruising focuses on the following:

• Appear to be effective
• Usually in more affluent areas
• Pupils achieve in spite of teaching quality
• Not preparing pupils to change world
• Possess powerful norms that inhibit change

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 Typology of Schools Culture

3. Strolling highlights the following:

• Neither particularly effective nor ineffective
• Moving at inadequate rate to cope with pace of
change
• Meandering into future to pupil's detriment
• Ill defined and sometimes conflicting aims
inhibit improvement
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 Typology of Schools Culture

4. Struggling centers the following:

• Ineffective and they know it
• Expend considerable energy to improve
• Unproductive "trashing about"
• Will ultimately succeed because have the
will if not the skill
• Often identified as "failing", which is
demotivational
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 Typology of Schools Culture
5. Sinking refers on the following:
• Ineffective: norms of isolation, blame, self
reliance, and loss of faith powerfully inhibit
improvement.
• Staff unable to change
• Often in deprived areas where they blame
parenting or unprepared children
• Need dramatic action and significant support
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Typology of Schools Culture

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 School Mission,
Vision, and Values
 School Mission, Vision, and Values

The foundation of school culture's elements

lay at the mission vision of the school. Underlying
the mission vision statements are the values the
schools holds which determine what philosophies
and standards the individuals will assimilate and
incorporate into his/her everyday teaching and
learning (Rhodes, Stevens and Hemming's 2011)
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 School Mission, Vision, and Values
Every school crafts their mission and vision
statements to draw the direction of the institution.
The mission vision mirror what the school wishes
and hopes to eventually become and accomplish
(Peterson & Deal, 2009). Even though these are
called statement they are embodied by all of the
values, beliefs, norms, assumption that the school
holds (Confeld, 2016)
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THE DEPED VISION
We dream of Filipinos
who passionately love their country
and whose values and competencies
enable them to realize their full potential
and contribute meaningfully to building the nation.
As a learner-centered public institution,
the Department of Education
continuously improves itself
to better serve its stakeholders.

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THE DEPED MISSION
To protect and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable,
culture-based, and complete basic education where:
Students learn in a child-friendly, gender-sensitive, safe, and
motivating environment.
Teachers facilitate learning and constantly nurture every learner.
Administrators and staff, as stewards of the institution, ensure an
enabling and supportive environment for effective learning to happen.
Family, community, and other stakeholders are actively engaged and
share responsibility for developing life-long learners.

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DEPED CORE VALUES
Maka-Diyos
Maka-tao
Makakalikasan
Makabansa

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THANKS!

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